IranAir to take delivery of first four ATR turboprop aircraft

Reuters Staff

2 Min Read

TOULOUSE, France, May 16 (Reuters) - IranAir is set to take delivery of four ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft on Tuesday, part of plans to rebuild its fleet after nuclear-related sanctions against Iran were lifted last year.

The four turboprop aircraft, painted in IranAir colours, are due to be handed over at ATR's Toulouse headquarters on Tuesday and are scheduled to arrive in Tehran on Wednesday, European and Iranian aviation industry officials said.

The deliveries will bring to seven the number of new Western aircraft delivered to Iran since trade reopened under a deal between Tehran and major powers to drop most sanctions in exchange for restrictions on Iran's nuclear research activities.

The state airline, which has ordered 20 of the planes made by a joint venture between Airbus and Italy's Leonardo , is set to use the four aircraft on underserved regional routes.

The 70-seat ATR 72-600 is worth $26.8 million at list prices. IranAir is expected to take delivery of the remaining 16 ATR aircraft by the end of 2018, including another five this year.

IranAir has also taken delivery of three Airbus jets, part of a set of purchases for a total of 180 jetliners to be supplied by Europe's Airbus and its U.S. rival Boeing .